Cambridge instrumentation firm Sentec has got into UK smart meters following a deal with National Grid subsidiary OnStream.
"OnStream is using Sentec's Mobius current sensor to produce a smart electricity meter that is the first to be developed specifically to fit the particular profile of the UK market," said Sentec. "This partnership has resulted in the first meter to be launched in the UK to take advantage of Mobius."
Mobius is already in over five million US meters.
The OnStream meter uses GSM to transfer consumption data. Its modem can be set to use the strongest mobile network available at each site.
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"It is particularly suitable for the rapidly changing UK market because it is can be upgraded remotely to meet existing and future standards and requirements around functionality, tariffs and home area networking," claimed Sentec.
The national smart meter roll-out should begin in 2012 and be complete by the end of 2020.
"Smart metering is on the brink of rapid expansion in the UK," said OnStream smart development manager Clare Naunton. "The days of the one-size-fits-all meters are over and the opportunities in the future are based on increasing modularisation of meter design and lower costs of manufacturing as meters become pure electronic products that are found in every home."
The two firms are to start a trial of the meter in the summer.